Corn seed manufacturers participated in the Official Variety Trials (OVT) on LSU AgCenter research stations with 72 varieties.

OVT tests were conducted at four stations that included a Commerce silt loam and Sharkey clay at the Northeast Research Station, the Dean Lee Research Station in Alexandria, the Red River Research Station in Bossier City and the Scott Research Center in Winnsboro. The on-farm core block trials were conducted with 19 varieties over 32 trials throughout the corn-growing areas of Louisiana, with parish agents coordinating trial activities. The corn OVT trials were conducted according to LSU AgCenter best management practices. The on-farm core block trials were placed with active corn producers and subjected to the standard production practices for that producer. Several trials suffered from adverse growing conditions, including severe drought.

Separate core block trials were conducted for “stacked” varieties – containing both glyphosate tolerance and insect resistance – and “non-stacked” varieties that had glyphosate tolerance only. The data are presented to provide yield results by trial, as well as some trend comparisons from compiled data. As opposed to the OVT research, core block trials are sometimes not replicated in the field, and rigorous statistical analyses are often not possible. However, sufficient trials were conducted across a variety of locations that meaningful and relevant observations can be made that will be useful to Louisiana producers as they make seed-buying decisions.

The data provided in this publication should help you make a more informed decision about which varieties will work best for your production area.